Mike Petke Not Worried About Player Discipline

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – KSL Sports launched the 2019 season edition of the Mike Petke Coaches Show, hosted by RSL analyst Brian Dunseth. They talked about the four red cards in three games, the culture in Utah and curling.

The club is coming off of a disappointing 4-2 loss to FC Dallas at home last week, which included a red card.

In the first three games of the 2019 season, Real Salt Lake has picked up four red cards. That has been concerning with the RSL faithful, where they are questioning the discipline of the team.

“I am sorry to give a boring answer,” said Petke. “They [the players] are not robots. When I am asked if we have a discipline problem, I just shake my head. Of course we don’t have a discipline problem,” he added.

Last season, RSL didn’t receive a red card throughout the entire season.

Culture Of Family

Coach Petke had to make some major adjustments when he moved to Salt Lake City, when he was named the head coach of the Real Monarchs. Shortly after taking over Real Salt Lake, he was getting noticed by the fans and the community in Utah more. He left a community in New York that has 10 professional sports teams.

“I took my kids to a restaurant after we moved to Utah,” he said. “I pulled up to the window and the guy [employee] said ‘coach, how are you? I am looking forward to the game.”‘

It took Petke by surprise, because he was noticed in public places in New York twice a month. That’s not the case in Salt Lake City.

“It is very family oriented here,” he said. “It is a culture of family and that is something I have really enjoyed since being here.”

A Jazz Fan?

Something that Petke takes to heart when he is coaching is that every second of the game, he feels the supporters in the stadium. He considers himself a supporter, following sports teams in New York as well as in Utah.

“I am supporting the Jazz now,” Petke added. “I have never liked the Knicks growing up in New York.”

Throughout his childhood, he was always trying to find his NBA team, because he didn’t like the Knicks. Petke followed the Chicago Bulls when Michael Jordan was playing and now he is a Jazz supporter.

Curling Fan

An unknown fact about the RSL head coach is that he is a fan of Curling. Quizzing Dunseth about the sport, Petke knows all four positions involved in Curling.

“You have the lead, who starts throwing the stones,” he said. “You have a second or a vice, who has a brush. Then you have a third or a vice-vice, which also has a brush. Finally, you have the ultimate position, the skip,” Petke added.

The RSL boss informs Dunseth that a team is called a “Rink.”

Petke stats that the “Skip” is the most important position in curling. The skip throws the last two stones at the end. Why?

“Because he is the freakin skip, that’s why,” Petke said.

The Mike Petke Coaches Show can be found on the KSL TV app and KSLSports.com.